Spezza likes MacLean's approach

“Paul has worked us real hard,” the Senators’ No. 1 centre, Jason Spezza, said Thursday following yet another long day at the rink that included a practice, a 30-minute scrimmage and an off-ice workout. “There has been a lot of skating. It has been work, but good work.

“I think if you put the time in at this time of year, it will benefit us going into the season. Once you start playing a lot of games, it’s hard to have these kinds of conditioning days. It has been pretty fast and furious for the past five or six days.”

That is what MacLean promised long before the first skate was laced up.

He said he wanted his team to go “fast,” and the opening week of training camp has featured skating and more skating, with spirited scrimmages sandwiched in between. MacLean has been hands-on throughout, regularly barking out instructions if a drill isn’t completed to his satisfaction.

Generally speaking, he likes what he has seen.

“I think we’re getting there, for sure,” he said. “They’ve been diligent, coming to work and punching the clock, and sticking to it. And to this point, we’re pleased.”

Spezza suggests the fine-tuning of the systems and intricacies MacLean wants to bring to the team won’t be ironed out until the club cuts down to a more workable group.

At some point between Sunday and Tuesday — the Senators play Saturday in Montreal, Monday in St. John’s, N.L., against the Winnipeg Jets and back at Scotiabank Tuesday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs — the club will ship a group of players down to Binghamton of the American Hockey League, where the club’s top minor league affiliate will begin its camp.

MacLean suggested the number that remains in Ottawa will be “around 27,” although that number isn’t set in stone. At that point, the most intriguing roster decisions and battles will be at the forefront. That includes the second-line centre battle between Mika Zibanejad, Peter Regin and Stefan Da Costa, and David Rundblad and Jared Cowen attempting to land spots on the blueline.

That’s also when the teaching for the start of the regular season will pick up in earnest.

“Until you get the group together, it’s really hard to be probably as tight as (MacLean) would like us to be, or as in sync as he would like us to play,” Spezza said.

“Right now, there are a lot of guys who haven’t played together, even in intrasquad (scrimmages). There are odd numbers and you’re not playing with the same guys all the time.

“But I do think we’re starting to grasp the general concepts. For the most part, we’re better than we were on the first day, so I think we’re showing some progress, but once the numbers get down, when we get down to 20 to 25 guys, it will probably be easier to go through drills.”

Spezza says he’s anxious to get into tonight’s game to shake off any offseason rust. He says the daily scrimmages have allowed him to progress quicker than in previous training camps.

“I just want to try and find my legs a little bit, the timing of the game, taking a pass, receiving a pass, the things you take for granted normally,” he said.

PRINCE BACK TO 67’S

Right-winger Shane Prince travelled 25 minutes east down the Queensway on Thursday, re-joining the Ottawa 67’s after being released by the Senators.

MacLean liked what he saw from him.

“I was impressed,” he said. “He was one of the three best forwards at the rookie camp and I thought he played well in (the Senators’ 2-1 win over Boston on Wednesday). He shows a lot of confidence and poise with the puck, and his skating ability was good. He needs to get bigger and stronger and whatnot, but he earned the opportunity to play in (an exhibition game). He showed as an 18-year-old rookie that he wanted the puck. That was my impression of how he played, and I think he’s going to have a great year in junior and be a good player for us down the road.”

DREAM FOR PAGEAU

Gatineau Olympiques captain Jean-Gabriel Pageau will get a chance to play tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, the team he watched so closely growing up.

“I’m very happy about that,” he said. “I’m happy to be here to play with Alfie and Spezza, that’s a great experience. I learn from those players. I get good tips.”

Pageau says his focus is on the Senators.

“When I was in Gatineau at the beginning of the season, I was 100 per cent with them, but now I’m with the Senators, so I’m 100 per cent with them.”

MODERN CONGRATS

Welcome to the new age of technology. After Mika Zibanejad scored the game-winning goal in overtime to defeat Boston 2-1 on Wednesday, he was toasted in cyberspace by his close friends.

“When I woke up this morning, my parents had texted me,” he said. Zibanejad calls the goal “one of the biggest I’ve scored for sure, but it’s still just one game.”

So far, Spezza likes what he sees.

“The best way to put it is that he looks like a hockey player,” said Spezza. “He’s a big, strong kid, he skates real well, he drives the net real well. I have been really impressed with him.

“He has a good head on his shoulders and he works real hard. They’re going to ask a lot of him in this camp. He’s going to play a lot of games and that’s a lot to ask of anyone, let alone an 18-year-old who has never played at this level. You can tell he’s getting more and more comfortable.”

MacLean will, however, give both Zibanejad and Rundblad the night off against Montreal, suggesting that both of them need a rest after going through a daily grind of practices and games dating back to the start of rookie camp three weeks ago.

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